Churn



e 1929. J. M. BROOKS 1.716.363

GHURN Filed Aug. 20, 1928 n1 immnulm AMA/VI l atente d June 11, 1929 UNITED raises sine.

GHURN.

Application filed. August 20,1928. Serial No. 300,733.

The object of this invention is to provide simple, easily-cleaned rotary mechanism for efficiently agitating the cream to quickly break up the fat globules therein and at the same time aerate the mass, to the end that a maximum of butter may be produced within a minimum of time, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view; and

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional View showing the churn of preferred construction;

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the removable frame in the churn body.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing annexed by reference-characters, 5 designates a cylindrical vessel having a bottom 6 affixed within the same, this bottom being flanged at its edge, where it is attached to the body 5, and being also curved downwardly, which structure gives rigidity to the churn body and renders it less likely to be injured by rough handling.

In the center of the bottom is formed a bearing for the lower end of the shaft 7 which carries a dasher generally designated by the numeral 8, at its lower end, and is attached by a removable coupling 9, at its upper end, to a motor-driven shaft 10, this shaft 10 being adapted to be endwisely lifted in its bearing in order to disconnect the coupling 9, to thus permit the dasher-shaft and the attached parts to be removed from the churn body for cleaning.

The dasher consists of a plurality of curved blades 11 having their lower edges curved to correspond with the concavity of the bottom 6 and being attached at their inner ends to a hub 12 which is attached to the shaft 7. The outer edges of these blades 11 are connected together by a horizontal fiat ring 13 whose outer edge is coincident with the outer edges of the blades 11, the center portion of the ring being open to permit the milk to ass down into the cavity below the ring 13. n top of the ring 13 is a series of short vanes 14: which incline substantially in the same direction as the outer ends of the blades 11 and whose vertical edges terminate coincident with the edges of the ring 13.

In the bottom of the churn body, outside of the outer edges of the ring 13 and the blades 11 .and 14, is afiixed a series of vertical ribs 15 which rise from the bottom 6 to a point about coincident with the top ends of churn body, and their outer ends rest upon the bottom 6 and abut fiatwise against two of the diametrically-positioned ribs 15. This frame 16-17 is loosely mounted on the shaft 7 and, therefore, does not rotate with the same, but on the contrary remains stationary within the churn body, against rotation therein, by engagement with the ribs 15. It will be observed that when it is desired to remove the parts for cleaning, it is simply necessary to disconnect the coupling 9 by raising the shaft 10, whereupon the shaft 7 may be liftedv out of the churn together with all of the parts except the ribs 15, thus rendering it easy to clean the churn members. In operation, when the shaft 7 is operated rapidly, the milk will be thrown outwardly very forcibly into the pockets formed by the ribs 15, and the'centrifugal action imparted to the milk by means of the curved blades 18 and the inclined vanes or paddles 14: will give to the mass of milk a very rapid rotary motion, thus impacting it against the sides of the ribs 15. The milk will also have imparted to it an upward movement at the side of the churn body, this being especially the result of the .concaved shape of the bottom 6 and the ring 13, which together form a series of sort of nozzles which not only insure a strong impact of the milk against the ribs in the side wallfof the churn, but also give it an upward trend. The upwardly-moving, swirling mass of milk strikes against the flat sides of the bars 17 and also the flat sides and flat top webs of the bars 16 and is thus further subjected to impacting force which assists in breaking up the fat globules. In practice, I have found that when the shaft 7 is rotated quite rapidly-say about 300 R. P. M.the centrifugal force set up by my dasher arrangement throws the upwardly-moving, swirling mass of milk so hard a ainst the cylindrical wall of the churn body that a central open space is maintained in the body of milk extending well down to the dasher and even to the bottom of the churn if the churn is not overloaded with milk, thusindieating a very high degree: of agitation, resulting in the production of butter within a minimum of time. With a speed equal to that indicated above and operating on about five gallons of milk, I have succeeded in separating the butter fat from the milk Within four minutes of the time of beginning the operation.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have herein described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now con sider to represent the best embodiments thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the 'apparatus disclosed is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means. Also, while it is designed to use the various features and elements in the combinations and relations described, some of these may be altered and others omitted and some of the features of each modification may be embodied in the others without interfering with the more general results outlined, and the invention extends to such use.

I may attach a pulley 18 to the upper end of shaft 10 for the purpose of belting this shaft to an auxiliary apparatus such as an ice-cream freezer. I prefer to position the lower one of the bars 16 close to the top edges of the blades 14 to thus increase the impacting effect of these blades. I prefer also to provide the bars 17 with inwardly-extending paddles 19 for the same purpose.

What I claim as new is:

1. In a churn, the combination of a cylindrical body having an interiorly-concaved bottom and separated upright ribs at the juncture of the bottom and the vertical wall of the body, a vertical rotary shaft within the body carrying a series of blades coincident with the aforesaid ribs and having their lower edges curved to conform to the concave bottom, said blades being connected together at their outer edges by an open horizontal flat ring whose outer edge lies adjacent to the inner edges of said ribs.

2. In a churn, a cylindical body having a bottom, a series of stationary separted radially-extending vertical ribs at the juncture of the bottom and the body, a vertical rotary shaft having a dasher at its lower end consisting of curved blades termlnating near the edges of said ribsand being connected at their upper edges by an open horizontal flat ring,

dasher and opposite thereto, and a frame 1 consisting of transverse bars having flat horizontal web portions and vertical bars loosely mounted on said shaft, said vertical bars be ing arranged close to the wall of the cylindrical body and having their lower ends in engagement with said ribs to prevent rotation of the frame.

4. In a churn, a cylindrical body having a bottom, a rotary shaft mounted therein and carrying a dasher at its lower end, this dasher consisting of blades and an open ring supported on the outer edges of said blades, the blades and said bottom being constructed to throw the milk outwardly and upwardly against the wall of the body, and a frame loosely mounted on the shaft and embodying vertical side bars located adjacent to the inner face of the wall. of the churn body.

5. In a churn, a cylindrical bodyhaving a bottom, a plurality of short radially-eXtending vertical ribs arranged around the body, a vertical shaft having a dasher at its lower end. positioned to rotate between the inner edges of said vertical ribs, the blades of the dasher being formed to throw the milk outwardly and against the sides of the vertical ribs, and means mounted on the top edges of said dasher-blades at the outer ends thereof to direct the milk laterally between the vertical ribs and prevent its upward movement in the path of the outer ends of the dasher-blades.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature. 

